You Are Invited To Attend The Minnesota Bike Summit On Capitol Hill

All Minnesota bicycling advocates and enthusiasts are invited to attend the 2nd Annual Minnesota Bike Summit on Capitol Hill. March 5, 2012.

Presented by the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN), this one-day conference will focus on educating elected representatives about the BikeMN 2012 Legislative Agenda.

The event will begin at Christ Lutheran Church at 9:30 a.m. During the morning session, BikeMN will facilitate discussions on bike-related legislative issues, bike facilities, and state agencies that impact bicycle programs throughout Minnesota. Attendees will hear from the authors of related bills in the rotunda at 2 p.m. Guest speakers will be announced soon.

Summit Schedule
• 9:30 a.m. - Registration, Networking, Continental Breakfast
• 10:00 a.m. - Morning sessions will begin at Christ Lutheran Church, directly across the street from the Capitol building.
• 11:45 a.m. - Lunch
• 12:30 p.m. - Meet in small groups to discuss legislative meetings.
• 1:45 p.m. - Rally for our cause in the Capitol rotunda.
• 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. – Attend pre-scheduled meetings with legislators to discuss the impact of bicycling on the health of individuals, communities, the environment and the economy.
• BikeMN will make appointments for attendees to meet with legislators during the day. Meeting times with specific legislators will be posted on the morning of the Summit or sooner to assist you in mapping your day. Discussions during the morning will include training and coaching on meeting and talking with lawmakers. Please plan to attend one or more of these meetings even if you are not able to attend the full Summit.

Lunch will be provided before the assembly marches to the State Capitol to rally for our cause, meet with legislators, and view industry displays in the rotunda.

Registration Information  The cost to attend is $10 for members of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, $15 for non-members, or $20 at the door. Registration and additional event information can be found on the BikeMN website. Email info@bikemn.org with questions.

The mission of BikeMN is to provide leadership and a unified voice for bicycle education, advocacy and efforts to make Minnesota more bicycle friendly so that more people will ride bicycles more often. Join the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota today to help with efforts to make bicycling in Minnesota safe, easy, fun and cool for everyone!

Thank you to Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) of Bloomington, MN for sponsoring the 2012 Minnesota Bike Summit. QBP is the largest parts and accessories distributor in the bicycle industry serving more than 5,000 dealers around the world.

BikeMN 2012 Legislative Agenda
The BikeMN Board of Directors has approved the following 2012 Legislative Priorities:
Pass a Vulnerable User Law that increases penalties for careless driving.
This law change would increase the penalties for causing serious injury to, or the death of, a bicyclist, pedestrian or other vulnerable road user to a gross misdemeanor and mandate driver education and community service.

Create a state funded Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Grant Program
.
This bill would fund the grants with a $1.5 million per year allocation from the 2012 bonding bill. This would be in addition to the federally funded program and make Minnesota a leader by funding Safe Routes to School at the state level.

Authorize the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) State Bikeway
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Authorization of the MRT as a state bikeway would allow the MnDOT commissioner to plan this bike route and work with other units of government on its signing and implementation.

Please take a moment to look at the Advocacy page (https://www.bikemn.org/advocacy/) of the BikeMN website for detailed information and a list of other issues BikeMN will be tracking and supporting in 2012.

Article Published: 01-29-2012